17/08/12..’Support Finder’ website launched
A NEW website has been launched to help thousands of people in Oxfordshire take control of their care.
Support Finder has been developed as a quick, easy and comprehensive ‘one-stop-shop’ for people with personal care budgets.
Personal budgets are an allocation of funding given to service users after an assessment, to meet their needs and provide them with more choice and control over their care and support.
It will also be useful for anyone looking for care providers, help with living at home, staying healthy and safe, transport services or leisure activities.
The site is provided by Oxfordshire County Council and has been developed with the help of local people and organisations that represent older people, carers and people with disabilities. L
ocal businesses and organisations that provide an adult social care service are able to submit their details online for a free listing on the website. Around 650 organisations and services are listed so far. Users of the site can find what they need quickly, thanks to the simple design and useful features such as the ability to make and store lists.
County Councillor, Arash Fatemian, Cabinet member for Adult Services, said: ?Support Finder is certain to be a useful resource for people in Oxfordshire. We are now at a point where more and more people are seeking to take control of their own care and decide exactly which services they want to use. That?s a really good thing, but to be able to do it properly you need information to make decisions.
?Support Finder has been designed specifically for anyone looking for services, whether they pay for them themselves or have personal care budgets. There?s more than 2,600 people with these budgets at the moment in the county and that will increase over time to 5,100.
That?s why Support Finder is so important. It is the only site of its kind in the county, bringing together information from many organisations on support and advice for adults in one place for the first time.?
PHOTO: L-R – Nigel Taylor and Tracey Taylor (My Life My Choice champions), Amber Ryan from Oxfordshire County Council
SOURCE; Press release
